Flaxen Prologue
by Medea Arduinna
Summary: Set after the events in Ocarina of Time, Zelda travels to Kokiri Forest after dreams she keeps having and the lack of letters from Link to see if our Hero is doing all right. What is this talk of the Sages failing? Will Zelda get more than she bargained f


**Disclaimer: I own not. You sue not. That is, except for Ilahnnen, and the King of Hyrule's attitude. And the plot. That's all mine, ma petite chiennes.**

**Feedback: Is pretty, like flowers. Oh, and if you flame, they will be used to roast your head on a stick. Kind of like in _Lord of the Flies_, only I don't think they roasted the pig's head. I should hope not. Let me know if you find out, savvy?**

**Flaxen**

            _Blood poured from the sky like rain, and flashes of green lightning sihouetted the mountains in the distance. In front of her, a golden light grew and grew, and she had to shield her eyes, just before the light shattered into a thousand pieces._

~*~

            Eighteen-year-old Princess Zelda awoke with a start, not out of breath and not panicked, as many in her situation - being a princess, among other things, who helped the Hero of Time on his quest to destroy ultimate evil while having prophetic dreams at the same time - would have been. This was the way she woke from every one of her dreams, especially those of late, which had been occuring more and more frequently. She stood up from her bed and pulled her deep-blue cloak over her light-blue silk nightdress, slipped on her simple-cotton slip-over-her-feet slippers and quietly slipped out of her bower.

            Walking over to the window, she pushed aside the blue velvet curtains and stared up at the sky, a purple-blue hue, streaks of gray along the horizon, indicating sunrise was soon to greet the castle to a new day.

            Zelda wanted to take good use of the lingering darkness and ride out to Kokiri Forest, where the Hero of Time himself rested. So she could look at his face while he slept and see the innocence he'd never fully had as a child come out on his eighteen-year-old face. To breathe in the nice, woodsy scent of him. To touch his silky flaxen locks and stare in his deep, sapphire-blue eyes and be reminded of why she'd fallen in love with him all those years ago.

            But she knew her father would no approve of riding off in secret, and probably not even if she asked him - at least without Impa going to protect her. Did she being the seventh Sage - the Sage of Wisdom and the Sage of Sages - mean nothing to him? She could very well protect herself; she had as Sheik, and Impa had taught her many fighting and defense skills.

            So why could her father not see that she was capable of riding out on her own? It wasn't as if the evils that had once plagued the beautiful vast land of Hyrule existed anymore. At least, not the minions of Ganondorf. There were still the occasional wandering Poes and whatnot, but those were easy to take care of, with her bow and arrow. She wasn't ten years old anymore. Yet, she could not understand why he was so overly protective of her.

            Impa had shared with Zelda that she reminded the king of her mother, who had died just after giving birth to her, and the then-sixteen-year-old Zelda replied, "Well, I wouldn't know," and had continued writing her letter to Link.

            Yes, she and the Hero of Time had had a steady correspondence going, but lately he'd become very distant and his letters only came once every two or even three weeks, if Zelda was even that lucky. This presented another reason to visit the boy - man, Zelda mentally corrected herself.

            A few days ago she'd overheard a conversation between Impa and her father, part of which confirmed what Impa said two years before.

            "If you don't mind me saying so, Link would be a proper suitor for the princess. The two like each other, and they already have a strong spiritual bond between them."

            "I'm just not sure, Impa. I am grateful beyond belief to him for saving Hyrule during Ganondorf's reign and all...but, well, it is really _her_ choice. I mustn't press the matter of marriage on her, but I feel that my time here is drawing closer to an end. I wish it would come soon, but not for Zelda. I do not want to rush her into becoming a ruler just yet. I just want to be with my wife again."

            "That is understandable."

            "No," said the king softly, and sighed, "it is selfish. And I am ashamed of it. But seeing her in my daughter...it kills me." Zelda had then crept away back into her bower.

            "Milady," said a soft, somewhat deep voice, which cut through her reverie, and a hand rested gently on her shoulder. "Take Ilahnnen and go. I will defend you against your father in your stead...convince him that you really can take care of yourself if danger presents itself." Zelda turned, her mouth slightly agape at the Sheikah woman. She couldn't believe she had heard this from her life-long protector and the fifth Sage.

            "But you must get dressed first."

            After dressing in traveling clothes - black woolen hose and a deep-blue woolen shirt, with soft leather riding boots, which came to her knee, she pulled her mid-back-length honey colored hair in a low ponytail to keep it out of her face. She pulled on a traveling cloak and Impa followed her to the stables, where she readied her horse, Ilahnnen, for the ride to the forest.

            "Impa," said Zelda outside the stables as she mounted Ilahnnen, "how did you know?"

            "Child, I have known you for eighteen years. How could I not?" She smiled. "May the goddesses be with you." Zelda nodded a thanks for everything, dug her heels into the horse's sides and off she galloped. The wind beat against her face, her quiver and bow against her back. The sight of the mountains, Lon Lon Ranch, Gerudo Valley and Lake Hylia passing by made Zelda's heart race against her ribs. She loved riding - always had as a little girl, and nothing had changed. Except for the anxiety of seeing Link again after two incredibly long years had her digging her heels more into Ilahnnen, trying to get her to go faster.

            Then finally, as the sun rose up over the treetops, Zelda reached Kokiri Forest.

***


End file.
